To the Presidency! And beyond!
by brown-eyedBlunder
Summary: Drabbles of the row. Mostly tales of the Boss finally accepting Gat's death and the ridiculous events that occur throughout Saints Row IV. (Looks like she won't have to wait for long!) Violence and language, but much more fun stuff to occur later.
1. Midsummer's Nightmare

To the Presidency! (And Beyond!)

It's been a long time since I've wanted to write, longer still that I've wanted to put anything up on FF, but SR4's got me so excited I can't stop myself, so here's a few drabbles of the row.

I imagine the Boss isn't just some mindless sociopath, and actually does reflect on the things she's done. Most of the time it just doesn't bother her. (I own nothing, etc.)

* * *

**Midsummer's Nightmare**

"Shit Boss, you up this late again?"

The "Boss", notorious leader of the Third Street Saints, and now, oddly enough, President of the United States, turned her head slightly at the sound of Pierce's voice, "Fuck's it to you?"

"Because," he started, moving closer to her, "Not only am I your right hand man, I'm the motherfuckin' Communications Director of these United States, and you got two meetings and a press conference later this morning, _Madame President._"

Drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair she'd dragged out to the balcony, she muttered, "This place needs more window seating."

He was at her back now, "It's the _White House,_ you're the _President_, and the last thing anyone cares about is balcony seating. Shit, you don't think niggas out there wanna try an' put a bullet in your head? Pshh, Shaundi'd throw a fit if she knew you were up. Small wonder Kinzie ain't told her yet."

She shrugged.

Pierce took two steps, turned, perched himself on the balcony railing, and stared at his Boss hard. Normally she'd be sayin shit like "Tough shit" and "I have no right hand man", crackin' jokes n' shit… but this… this was _different._

Adjusting to life as the President had to be difficult. Life as a Cabinet Member was more than a handful. All day, every day, every movement and word were being watched and heard. And the paperwork!

Some days Pierce wasn't even sure how they'd gotten themselves into this position in the first place. Maybe it had started off as a joke, who knows?

The fact of the matter was, as a gang leader, the Boss had been able to do whatever she wanted, be whomever she wanted to be (literally and figuratively), as had the rest of the Saints. As President… she actually had to start watching what she was doing, what she was saying, how she was acting, and she wasn't very good at it. He could see the loathing on her face when certain reporters questioned her about touchy subjects, and occasionally the Boss went back to her "fuck it" attitude and jacked a car or two, which caused hell for everybody else.

Some days he almost missed the streets.

"You do know that you say the word, and we'll bounce… right?" he said, leaning forward, "You make the call, and we right behind you Boss."

She sniffed, her shoulders tense. The night was cool, and the weather was pleasant enough for three in the morning. Something familiar about that faraway look in her eye…

"You havin' more nightmares?" he asked softly.

She nodded.

He paused. It wasn't often the Boss would even hint that she was hurting, not even when Gat got blown away, but since they'd settled into the White House, things were a lot less… violent. By comparison to the old days… it was almost… peaceful, though stressful in its own way.

In a calm tone, he asked, "Was it the drowning one or the plane one?"

She shuddered, "Fuck. Pierce it was both. I was drowning in a plane. I know that doesn't make sense, but I dunno shit, maybe the plane was in the ocean? I was tied up and Lin was dead and Eesh was decapitated and Gat… and _Carlos_. God I don't even know why he was _there_ man. I just see his mangled bloody body and he's suffering and I can't-"

She curled up a bit in her chair, "I couldn't make it stop. They were all dead or dying and I couldn't do a single fuckin thing."

"Now Boss-" Pierce started.

"No!" she barked, rising from her chair, "Don't you fuckin' '_Now Boss_' me! They're all dead! It's my fault! That's it! Don't you… don't you _fucking_ patronize me I swear I will put a bullet in your goddamn leg. I am the _Boss _Pierce! I shoulda been more responsible. That money didn't even need to be there in the first place! Aisha was playing dead and what did I do? What did I _do?!_ I just fucked it up and I got her killed for real right before Gat's goddamn eyes!"

He remembered. He remembered driving her and Gat to the hospital, her vigilance until he was stabilized, and most of all, something she didn't tell Gat about, but he was always sure the other Saint eventually learned of, Pierce remembered the Boss' rampage against the Ronin. She'd gone out in the pouring rain and… and butchered any gangbanger sportin' yellow flags.

"Boss look at us," he said almost pleadingly, "We are not exactly livin' what you'd call a normal life here! Did you honestly think none of us were gonna die? What did you think we was invincible or something?"

"I don't know!" she shouted, "I've seen enough bitch ass punks die on the street Pierce, I've _killed_ enough bitch ass punks on the street to know what happens in the game! But Gat, Gat should be here, Gat shouldn't be _dead_ Pierce!"

She grew quiet, her anger dissipating, her defiant stance deflating somewhat. Slumping back into her chair, she put a hand to her temple and shook her head, "You know, I didn't even think he was dead for the longest time? Not _really_. I thought about what he said, about the Saints tradin' in their dicks in for pussies, and I thought, well maybe he faked it so he could get out. Maybe he hated us. Hated _me_. Maybe if I did something, changed something, if it was enough he'd… shit maybe he'd come back. Honestly… I thought that was all better than the alternative."

Pierce let the information sink in. Yeah he'd known Gat was the Boss' best friend. Yeah, he'd known all the shit Gat n' the Boss'd been through. He never thought this though. He never thought the Boss, for all her strength, would tear herself apart like this. And she had never really mourned him while they were busy in Steelport had she? Shaundi had, of course Shaundi had, but the Boss, she made killing Loren priority one, killing Killbane priority two, and taking over Steelport priority three. Hadn't really killed Killbane, and the screaming match The Boss and Shaundi'd gotten into after she let him go… it still freaked him out.

Now that they were in the White House though… now that she actually had time… well it certainly explained a lot.

"You know what the _most_ fucked up thing is though?" she asked, "The most fucked up part is that… Gat's dead… but he doesn't… _feel_… dead… y'know? It feels like he's still out there somewhere and I just… I gotta find him."

Pierce was tempted to give her a sympathetic look, but that'd only get her riled again. She didn't want to be placated with empty words or piss poor looks. She wanted… _needed…_ to talk. To be heard. To be listened to. She wasn't looking for answers.

She knew there weren't any.

She pouted, "You probly think I'm nuts huh?"

Pierce shrugged, "Not as much as Kinzie and her wild ideas about virtual reality and alien overlords."

She laughed at that.


	2. Thousand Yard Stare

Here's the next little bit. Bear in mind that this might get turned into a later chapter as I and my Boss discover how Gat "survived". But for now, here you go. Own nothin but my Boss, etc, you know the drill.

* * *

Thousand Yard Stare

"Boss wouldja stop fuckin' _starin'_ at me?" Gat asked, for once in his life unnerved under her gaze. He turned on his scariest scowl, but knew better than to expect the Boss to be intimidated.

The Boss just scowled right back at him, "No Gat. You're _alive_. I only discovered you were _alive_ a few hours ago. You're standing here, right in front of me. I'm gonna soak up you being here growlin' an cussin' at me til I've had my fix and _you're_ gonna damn well let me!"

This reaction outta the Boss was one Gat had seen only one time, back in Stilwater, just after Aisha was murdered. He was laid up in a hospital and she had visited him more times than he could count, every day, until the Ronin had attacked the place and she had to haul his crippled ass outta there. It's not that she was upset with him or anything. If she was upset, she'd start throwin' shit or stomping her foot. Like a little kid really. Nah, the Boss was worried over him.

Of all things she was worried about, the fate of the earth, her presidency, any of the other homies, and _Gat_ took precedence. Why? Hell if he knew. Maybe it'd been the amount of time they'd rolled together. Yeah, they'd been runnin' with the Saints since the beginning, been through a lotta shit, hurt people and been hurt. Only natural. They'd bonded over beers, bazooms, and bloodied bodies.

She was just worried, that was all.

Now, to be honest, time locked in Zinyak's virtual world didn't really feel like time spent… at least, not the time the Boss had told him he'd been "dead". He chuckled a bit. Him dead? How could anyone believe _that_?

The older Saint puffed air through his nose, "Look. Boss. I ain't goin anywhere. Shit, I ain't dyin anytime soon neither. Don't you have shit to do in the virtual Steelport?"

"Virtual Steelport can wait Gat," she replied, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "This is… important."

He raised a brow.

"More important." She persisted.

Pierce took that moment to pass through the room, "Let her have her moment man. Shit, if this wasn't virtual reality, I wouldn't believe it either. No tellin' what kindsa shit Zinyak'd cook up next to try an snap th'Boss, and you know it."

He glared at the younger man's backside as he strolled out, but said nothing. For all the shit talkin' Pierce did, occasionally he did have a point. Didn't mean Gat didn't want to deck him right in that disrespectful mouth of his.

"Since when did he get so much say?" he muttered.

She stood, chin out, stance defiant, "Since you died."

"I ain't dead." He said low and even.

"And how was _I_ supposed t'know that?!" she barked, anger and something else flashing in her eyes.

He barked back, "Oh, so you can believe in fuckin zombies but not _aliens_?!"

She threw her hands up in the air, "What was I supposed to do Gat? Tell me, what was I supposed to do?"

He sneered, "I would have looked for a fuckin' body."

"I did! I did everything I could think up! I searched the streets! I searched the waters! I fucking _hate_ water and that didn't stop me from trying to find you!" she said, exasperated so much so that she stomped her foot for emphasis.

Oh, now she was upset. Regardless, the older Saint pressed harder, pushed her buttons, anything to get her to stop _staring_ at him.

"Yeah?" Gat said, tilting his head and crossing his arms, "Well you gave up pretty fuckin quick."

Less than three steps were crossed before a resounding slap echoed through the ship. His glasses had fallen to the floor and his cheek was hot and stinging. Gat however, remained motionless. Not because of what she did, although to be honest he was expecting a punch. It was the look on her face, the one that said a lot more than what she was willing to put into words, the one he'd seen on Aisha's face so many times whenever he'd fucked up real bad, the one she quickly turned to hide, that kept him rooted in place.

"I'm gone." She said.

And then she was.


	3. Voices on the Radio

Well I'm about halfway through the game with all of the Audio Clips and Quests completed. I just rescued Johnny last night and boy let me tell you, his Simulation and Loyalty Mission are SO. AWESOME. So I'll be writing a bit about those, and a bit about the initial transfer into the clutches of the alien overlord Zinyak.

Also, when I write stuff that takes place earlier, I may have to rearrange the chapters. Just a heads up in case anyone gets confused. Don't own anything, etc. you know the drill.

Happy reading!

* * *

**Voices on the Radio**

"My dear President, you seem upset," came a voice floating out of the stereo. Who else would it be but Zinyak's? After her spat with Gat the rest of the crew had taken the hint and left her alone for a while she ran around the simulation and blew off some steam. Yet again the ugly bastard was ruining another of the Boss's favorite songs. Admittedly the whole Biz Markie thing had been a little amusing, mostly because she didn't know if he was seriously trying to sing with it or was singing badly on purpose. But, instead of coming back with some smart remark, she switched off tunes.

The alien tutted lightly. "Oh, now that won't do," he continued, "Come now, I would surely have thought that regaining one of your most trusted allies would have you pleased as punch."

The Boss snarled as she swerved off the road and got out of the car, using her super powered legs to send her racing away from the snide voice as fast as she could. "To no avail it seems _Madame President_," he whispered sinuously in here ear, "You cannot escape me here."

Leaping into the air she glided to the nearest rooftop and used it to start a chain of rooftop jumps. There was a group of Zin guarding a relay nearby and she sent a blast of ice at them, freezing them in their tracks.

"Is he upset with you perhaps?" the overlord mused, "Angry that you didn't come to save him sooner?"

The bullets from the Boss' SMG turned the goons into icy little chunks before they disappeared into little red and black pixels.

Zinyak made a cooing noise, "Ohh that's right, you thought he was dead. You couldn't possibly believe that he was alive. No one could have survived that plane crash. Not even Johnny Gat. "

The Boss finally snapped. "Johnny could survive _anything!_" she roared at the sky, "I didn't think he was dead, I never believed it until-

"Until what?" the alien asked, amusement thick in his voice, "Until you solidified yourself in a position of power so high that your day to day life became so droll that you absolutely had to accept his fate? Until so much time had passed that you couldn't help but accept the most likely and probable outcome? Tell me, was it agonizing? You're crowing like you're cock of the walk Madame President, but deep down you humans are all emotional creatures. You feel more than you let on. Perhaps I should have constructed a simulation similar to Shaundi's for you instead of that obviously insufficient 1950s scenario."

Veering off to the right, The Boss activated her super sprint and made a quick beeline to the portal out and leaped into it with the full force of her body, jarring her in her restraints as she awoke in the real world.

Panting, she staggered forward, her legs giving out from under her. She hit her knees hard on the metal floor that sent a low boom through the room and hoped no one had heard. The Boss bent forward and put her hands on the floor to stop the room from spinning and panted, "Fuck me."

His laughter was still ringing in her ears.


	4. The Boys are Back in Town

Here it is Genkifans! The next chapter! I swear this song will never be the same for me again.

Own nothing but my Boss, etc.

* * *

**The Boys are Back in Town**

"Hey Matt?" The Boss called into the open air, "Do you think you could, uh… c-could you help me with something?"

The young man sounded a bit taken aback, "Uh, why yes, yes sure. What did you need?"

The streets of Steelport were as busy as ever. Because of the perpetual night, it was difficult to gauge the passage of time, and so the city never really quieted. After getting back to the ship the last time, she'd avoided Johnny like the plague. Ironic how badly she wanted him back, to be alive, to be around, and now she was ducking out every time he walked into the room, much to his immense irritation. He'd confronted her about it, but she just skittered around the argument until he got fed up or she found an excuse to go into virtual Steelport.

For what seemed the past hour, The Boss had just wandered around collecting Clusters and the occasional Audio Log, which were all very interesting, until she'd settled herself high atop one of the more prominent of the buildings. With her legs dangling over the side, she mulled over what she was planning on doing.

She gazed out at the full moon, blue and white and big and beautiful on the horizon. "I'd like your help… creating one of those simulations of yours. I mean, well, I'm asking if you would create on for me, for us, for uh… for Gat and I."

"A simulation for you and… Gat?" Matt asked her, his curiosity peaked, "What would it be? Do you think he'd care to explore the fantastical and riveting world of Nyte Blade?"

The kid sounded so excited she felt a little bad for disappointing him. "Nah," she said, smiling softly, "I mean, later yeah, but I'd like something like… well not like… but uh, could you set up a Genkibowl?"

"Genkibowl?" the hacker parroted, "Oh I could do that in my sleep. Did you have anything special in mind or do you want me to just have a go at it?"

She laughed, "Yeah, have fun with it. No zombies though. Save that for Nyte Blade."

He tsked, "Oh you're no fun."

But there was a smile in his voice.

The cool night air felt good on her face and she smiled at the thought of her and Gat busting up mascots. It made her smile widen and her heart swell with emotions.

She really had missed him.

* * *

Seeing the tables of weaponry made her good and excited to start in on the fun, and The Boss couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she explained to him. He'd get that toothy grin he always did when he was gearing up for a fight. Yes, this was the man she'd longed for for almost ten years. This was the man she'd fallen for, completely and irrevocably. She could fuck everybody on the ship, except for Keith cause that would feel awkward, _and_ get Ben King's autograph, the secret fangirl that she was, but it wouldn't compare to Gat.

At least she could admit it to herself. Communicating the words to Johnny was another matter entirely.

The Boss wasn't great with emotions. Well, she was fantastic with quashing the stubborn bastards and stuffing them in a trunk hidden deep in the farthest recesses of her mind, but that was easy. Dealing with them, not so much. Of course, ten years to process, admit, and embrace feelings made things a bit easier. And Pierce was a great listener. He didn't judge or get mad at how much she talked about him, and that was nice.

From the moment she'd met Johnny well, she'd been mildly terrified of him. However, as they fucked with the Vice Kings and tooled around the city, chowing down on Freckle Bitch's and knocking back drinks, they'd bonded. It wasn't until he'd saved her from a desperate situation that he'd actually called her his friend. Even when he found out she wasn't a man, it didn't bother him. Well, it had, but more because he was offended that she would assume he'd have a problem with her being female.

When Aisha had been murdered… it had really taken its toll on him. The only jokes he cracked for a while were laced with bitterness, and she did her best to get him to smile again. She'd never had more trouble with Gat than that point in time, and it tore at her, and she blamed herself for the death of the woman _Gat_ had loved.

There had been talk. Rumors. People suggesting things while she was walking down the street. Things about her and Johnny "now that Aisha was dead". She couldn't stand their words. More than that she couldn't stand herself for wanting to be with him, for wanting him to find comfort in her and through her.

There had been a moment… one time, one night that they may have had _some_thing, but Johnny had played it off and she didn't want to make things awkward by trying to hold onto whatever it was, so she shrugged it off too.

Now though… now that The Boss could admit these things to herself and now that she had Johnny back, things were going to be different. _She_ was going to be different. No more pussyfooting around. After Genkibowl, she was going to tell him everything, and if he didn't reciprocate, then at least she'd said it.

As The Boss tucked away two pistols and picked up a trusty SMG, Gat turned to her and asked, "Genkibowl? What the fuck is a Genkibowl?"

The two dapped and she replied with a coquettish smile, "Kill every damn thing in front of you. But don't shoot the Panda Boards, I'm going for a high score here."


End file.
